vegaøyan world heritage
Tåvær
The name Tåvær means "two weather" and is related to the shape of the island . the island has had three households, and was inhabited until 1985. Tåvær formerly belonged to Tjøtta municipality and was a trading post for the islands west of Tjøtta – hence the name Vesterøyene which is still used for this area of Vegaøyan. In 1964 Tåvær part of Vega municipality.
Tåvær was the only trading post in the Western Islands with a ferry that bought fish in Lofoten, a shop and a post office. At its peak, 150 people received their mail at the island On a neighboring island, Buøya, they had clipfish drying.
The small trading post is beautifully situated in the bay. The farmhouse dates from 1875, while the rest of the building consists of a shop, outbuildings, fireplace, pier and quay. In the past, there was also an old large boat shed here. The trading post has been beautifully restored with a fireplace, post office and garden.
Øverstua
The upper room from 1793 is located at the top of the island with views in all directions. The house has been taken over by the association Vegaøyans Venner. Andelslaget Øverstua, Tåvær completed the restoration of the house in the summer of 2013, but painting and other work was carried out in the house until 2017. The plan is that visitors will be able to rent Øverstua for accommodation. Tåvær does not have cruise ship calls in the summer, but is well suited as a destination for paddlers and others with their own boat.
The best thing to do is to add it to the east side of the island , or possibly make an agreement with the owner of the main house to use the quay on the west side. Since the island is privately owned, it is best to contact the owners if you wish to camp. Further information is available from Visit Vega .
In the photo series below, you can see the journey Øverstua had from abandoned Nordland house to a beautifully restored building. The photos were taken by Rita Johansen and Håkon Bergåker.
Color surveys
The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) was commissioned by Nordland County Council to carry out building and color archaeological surveys in Øverstua. The investigations include the rooms on the ground floor, as well as parts of the rooms on the second floor. The work on the building was part of the project Kystens øysamfunn. Color surveys have also been carried out on Vegaøyan. The aim of the work was to find out about the building's color and building history, and this knowledge is now being used in the restoration of the building.
Emigrant history
Øverstua has an exciting emigration history. From there, 9 brothers and two sisters emigrated to the state of Washington on the West Coast of America. The brothers settled on the island Puget Island and became fishermen, while the sisters settled on Vashon Island and became berry growers. Two of the sisters remained on Tåvær where one took over Øverstua while the other built a new house north of the island This house is also being taken care of.
Source
“ Vegaøyan World Heritage. Cultural History Travel Book .” by Inga E. Næss and Rita Johansen.